Licensed Electrician Serving Pullman, Chicago
Pullman, home to Pullman National Historical Park and one of the country's first planned company towns, has some of the oldest housing stock on the South Side. Many of its brick rowhouses date to the 1880s, and their wiring was added and updated in stages over the decades, so most homes here need careful, code-compliant upgrading.
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Working inside Pullman's brick rowhouses
Pullman's rowhouses were built before electricity was common in homes, so the wiring inside them tends to be a patchwork. In a single house we may find old cloth-insulated wire, a later fuse box, and newer circuits spliced in during a remodel. Thick masonry walls and plaster mean wire can't simply be pulled through the way it can in a frame house. We plan routes through basements, closets, and existing chases, and fish wire carefully to keep plaster damage to a minimum.
Because the rowhouses share walls, we also pay attention to where one home's wiring ends and the neighbor's begins, and we don't drill blind into a party wall. Interior work like a new panel, added circuits, or rewiring a kitchen is standard permit work in Chicago. Pullman is also a landmark district, so exterior changes, such as moving a meter or adding a service mast on a visible wall, may need review. We flag that before the job starts so you can check with the city.
Popular projects in Pullman
The jobs we're called for most often here.
Replacing patchwork wiring
Replacing old cloth-insulated wire and mismatched splices with new circuits in conduit, routed through basements and closets to spare as much of the original plaster as possible.
Fuse box replacement
Swapping an old fuse box for a modern breaker panel sized for today's kitchens, laundry, and air conditioning, with any service upgrade coordinated with ComEd.
Dead outlets and flickering lights
Tracking down loose connections and failing splices in old wiring, a common cause of dead outlets and flickering lights in homes that have been rewired piece by piece.
Services
From quick fixes to full remodel wiring — here’s what EMT Electric handles.
Troubleshooting
- Troubleshoot & repair partial power
- Identify shorts, overloads, & failures
Fans & Ventilation
- Ceiling fans
- Attic fans & bathroom exhaust fans
Switches & Outlets
- Dimmers, 3-way, 4-way, timers
- Receptacles / GFCI replacements
Dedicated Circuits
- Dryer, AC unit, furnace, baseboard heaters
- Washer, microwave, oven, etc.
- Dishwasher & disposal power
Outdoor & Low Voltage
- Security/pole/landscape lights
- Photocells, motion sensors
- Doorbells & cable
Permits and inspections in Pullman
Pullman is part of the City of Chicago, so the Chicago Electrical Code applies, and it's stricter than most suburban codes. New wiring runs in metal conduit (EMT) rather than plastic-sheathed cable, and permits go through the Chicago Department of Buildings. Interior wiring is handled like any other Chicago permit job. Because Pullman is a landmark district, exterior work that changes how a house looks may also need landmark review.
Pullman electrical questions
Do I need landmark approval to rewire my Pullman rowhouse?
Interior work such as rewiring, a new panel, or added outlets is generally handled with a regular Chicago electrical permit. Exterior changes are different. Moving the meter, adding a service mast, or mounting fixtures on a visible facade may need landmark review. We point out anything exterior during the walk-through so you can check before the work is scheduled.
How do you run new wiring through solid brick walls?
Mostly we avoid going through the brick at all. We look for paths through the basement, floor and ceiling cavities, closets, and old chases, and use surface-mounted conduit only where it makes sense and you approve it. When a wall has to be opened, we keep the cuts small and tell you where they'll be beforehand.
Is the old cloth-covered wiring in my house still safe?
It depends on its condition. Old cloth and rubber insulation gets brittle with age and heat, and it often crumbles at fixture boxes and splices. We inspect it, show you what we find, and tell you honestly whether it can stay for now or should be replaced, and which circuits to do first.
Why Pullman Homeowners Choose EMT Electric
EMT Electric is a two-man, owner-operated shop, and Peter works every Pullman job himself. In a historic rowhouse that means the same careful hands from the first walk-through to the final inspection, with no subcontractors and a firm quote up front.
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Nearby areas we serve
We work across the neighborhoods and towns around Pullman, out of our base in Oak Lawn.